Ice cream carton



Sept. 6, 1965 Filed April 13. 1964 I I l J. R. REDPATH ETAL I CE CREAMCARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 4

2 4 BY SZ Q Q Q TTORNEY Sept 6, 1966 J. R. REDPATH ETAL 3,

ICE CREAM CARTON Filed April 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E 7 INVENTORSJOHN R PEDPATH 1,4 gum/c5 S. Wysacm ORNEY United States Patent 3,270,946ICE CREAM CARTGN John R. Redpath, Western Springs, and Lawrence S.Wysocki, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Waldorf Paper Products (Iompany, acorporation of Minnesota Filed Apr. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 359,333 3 Claims.(CL 229-51) recently, trunk style cartons have become popular, suchcartons having a top panel which may be opened to expose a much greaterarea of the contents than is exposed by opening a carton end. It hasalso been found that cartons may be readily made combining the twoprevious structures so that the cartons may be opened either from theend or from the top. It is this general type of carton which forms thebasis of the present invention.

In order to produce a combination carton of the type described, atubular body is formed having a glue flap which overlies the outersurface of one of the carton walls which normally comprises the frontcarton wall. Closure flaps are provided on the ends of these tubularlyarranged walls, and the outermost pair of opposed flaps are interlockedto hold the carton end closed. By disengaging the lock of these flaps,an end of the carton may be reopened if desired. Furthermore, bydetaching the glue flap from the wall to which it is secured, the panelbearing the glue flap may be hinged upwardly to expose a greater area ofthe product.

With the cartons of this type, it is necessary to provide some simpleway of detaching the glue flap to open the top of the carton. Many wayshave been devised to accomplish this result, usually by limiting theadhesive coated areas connecting the glue flap to the front wall of thecarton to simplify the separation. However, in the larger packages,where substantial weight is involved, it is desirable to provide aneffective and continuous seal between the glue flap and the front panel.It has therefore, been proposed to elongate the glue flap to cover agreater area of the front panel, and to anchor the marginal edge of theglue flap to the front panel and to provide a removable tear stripbetween the anchored area and the hinged edge of the glue flap. Whilesuch a construction works effectively as an opener, difiiculty isexperienced in opening the cartons from a flat state in which they arestored to a tubular form. This is caused by the tendency for the glueflap to hinge intermediate its edges rather than along its line ofconnection with the top panel.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an ice cream cartonof the trunk style which has been generally described and which lacksthe objections made to most cartons of this type. To accomplish thisresult, a glue fiap is hinged to the 'top panel and extends asubstantial distance down over the front panel. A detachable tear stripextends across the length of the glue flap midway between the upper andlower edges thereof. The lower edge of the glue flap is securely adheredto the front panel. The upper portion of the glue flap, between the tearstrip and the line of hinge connecting the tear strip to the top panel,is secured to the front panel along small areas of engagement or by arelatively weak area of attachment. This connection is sufficientlystrong to hold the glue flap in face contact with the front panelthroughout its area during the opening or folding of the carton from aflat form to an erected form. At the same time, after the tear strip hasbeen removed, the portion of the glue flap between the 3,27%,946Patented Sept. 6, 1966.

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tear strip and the top panel may be readily detached from the front wallof the carton.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of asimple means of insuring a limited attachment between the glue flap andthe front panel which may function on regular gluing equipment.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention willbe more clearly and fully set forth in the following specifications andclaims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the carton in closed condition.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the same carton in partially openedposition.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view through a portion of the carton,the position of the section being indicated by the line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the carton isformed.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the folded blank, a portion of the glue flapbeing broken away to disclose the normally covered portion of the frontpanel.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view through a partially open carton showing themanner in which the glue flap flexes in the absence of the upper line ofattachment.

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 showing the manner in which thetwo lines of adhesive hold the glue flap in the face contact with thefront wall.

The carton A is formed of the blank illustrated in FIGURE 4 of thedrawings. The blank includes a front panel 10, a bottom panel 11, a rearwall panel 12, and a top panel 13 connected along parallel fold lines14, 15, and 16. A glue flap structure which is indicated in general bythe numeral 17 is hingedly connected to the forward edge of the toppanel 13 along a fold line 19. The glue flap 17 is designed to overlapthe front panel 10 and be adhered thereto as will be later described.

The specific design of the end closures may vary to some extent, but inthe form illustrated, end flaps 20 are hinged to opposite ends of thebot-tom panel 1 1 along fold lines 21, the end flaps 20 being of an areasubstantially similar to the cross sectional area of the carton to forma full unbroken panel against the end of the product. Closing flaps 2-2are hinged to opposite ends of the top panel 13 along extensions of thefold lines 21, these flaps 22 preferably having some form of curvededges which permit the cover panel 13 to swing open withoutinterference. The closure flaps 22 are normally closed outwardly of thebottom panel flaps 20. The flaps are held in closed position by lockingflaps 24 hingedly connected to the front wall 10 along the fold lines 21and locking flaps 25 are hinged to the rear wall panels 12 along thesesame fold lines. The flaps 25 are shown as being provided with hookshaped locks 26 designed to extend through slots 27 in the locking flaps24. As this structure is generally conventional, the detailed shape ofthe looks and slots has not been described. As indicated in FIGURES 1and 2, the locking flaps 24 and 25 hold the ends closed and may bereopened if it is desired to remove the carton contents from the end.

The glue flap structure 17 is divided into three areas by a pair ofparallel weakened lines of separation 29 and 30. The area between theweakened lines 29 and 30 comprises a removable tear strip 31. The areabetween the upper weakened line 29 and the fold line 19 connecting thetear strip to the top panel 13 comprises a tuck flap 32. The areabetween the weakened line 39 and the end of the glue flap structurecomprises an anchoring flap 33.

The weakened line 29 is preferably interrupted intermediate its ends bya generally U-sha-ped out line 34 which defines a projecting tab 35. Thefront panel 10 is provided with a locking slot 36 spaced from the edge37 which will become the upper edge of the front wall 10. The slot 36 isadapted to accommodate the tab 35 after the tear strip area 31 has beenremoved.

The upper portion of the front panel 10 which underlies the tuck flap 32when the glue flap is secured in overlapping relation with the frontpanel is provided With a series of parallel outwardly embossed scorelines 39, these score lines being shown in enlarged section in FIGURE 3of the drawings. These space score lines 39 are designed to providenarrow lines of contact between the upper portion of the front wall 10and the inner surface of the tuck flap 32. The score lines 39 arepreferably in right angular relation to the upper edge 37.

By way of explanation, it should be stated that cartons such as icecream cartons are usually heavily coated with Wax or covered with a filmwhich is highly resistant to most adhesives. As a result, during recentyears a hot melt adhesive had been used to adhere coated cartons of thistype. The use of this adhesive creates a problem where separable areasof connection are desired, as the adhesive bond is unusually strong. Inthe past, it has been common practice to print portions of the surfacesto be adhered with an ink which tends to repel the glue. However, thisink does not effectively repel a hot melt adhesive. Furthermore,difficulty is experienced in applying spots or small discrete areas of ahot melt adhesive due to its high viscosity and its tendency to coolquickly. Thus the usual means of prosliding a readily separableattachment using a hot melt adhesive cannot be employed.

We have found that the problem can be effectively solved by theprovision of the outwardly embossed lines 39 arranged at generally rightangular relation to a thin line of hot melt adhesive indicated by thenumeral 40. By embossing the lines 39 to an extent greater than thethickness of the line of adhesive 49, only the portions of the crests ofthese embossed lines which are adhesively coated will adhere to the tuckflap 32. As a result, the tuck flap 33 is attached only at spaced areasindicated at 41 permitting the manual separation of the tuck flap fromthe front panel.

With this arrangement, intermittent points of adhesion may be providedeven. though the line of adhesive is continuous. In the interest ofeconomy, attempts are made to position the glue applicator roller sothat glue Will be applied only to the crests of the embossed areas.However, due to the nature of the adhesive, some of the adhesive willnormally be found in at least some of the areas between the lines ofembossment, but these portions of the adhesive merely harden on thesurface of the board without adhering to the glue flap.

In the gluing of the manufacturers joint, adhesive is applied along theline 40 as well as to the inner surface of the anchoring flap 33. Thecarton is then folded along the fold lines 14 and 16 to bring the glueflap structure 17 into engagement with the front wall panel 10 of thecarton. It should be noted that in the position of the blank indicatedin FIGURE 4, the embossed areas extend downwardly from the surface ofthe sheet and the glue is applied to the under surface of the sheetwhile the adhesive is applied to the upper surface of the anchoring flap33. When sealed, the carton A appears as indicated in FIGURE of thedrawings.

FJGURE 6 of the drawings indicates the undesirable condition whichexists as the cartons are opened up in the event the tuck flap 32 is notadhered to the front Wall. The weakened lines of separation which formthe tear strip 3]. will usually fold more easily than the fold line 19due to the fact that the tear strip is defined by perforations or cutlines while the fold line 19 must usually comprise a score line. Thuswhen the cartons are squared up by the use of suction cups or otherconventional means, the upper portions of the glue flaps tend to swingaway from the upper portion of the front wall as shown in 4 FIGURE 6,which action might even sever the carton along one of the weakenedlines. This is prevented by the line of adhesive 40 which detachablysecures the tuck flap 3 2 to the front wall, resulting .in the normalopening of the cartons as indicated in FIGURE 7 of the drawings.

In using the closed carton shown in FIGURE 1, one end of the tear strip32 is grasped and pulled forwardly, detaching this area 32. The coverpanel 13 may then swing open to expose the carton contents. In reclosingthe carton, the cover panel is swung downwardly, the cover panel flaps22 sliding between the innermost flaps 20 and the locking flaps 24, 25.The locking tongue or tab 35 may be inserted through the slot 36 in thefront wall in order to hold the tuck fiap 32 against the front wall.

In accordance with the patent statutes we have described the principlesof construction and operation of our ice cream carton, and while we haveendeavored to set forth the best embodiments thereof, we desire to haveit understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of thefollowing claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. A carton including a sheet of paperboard of substantially uniformthickness cut and creased to provide a series of foldably connected wallpanels,

a glue flap hinged to one end wall panel of said series adapted forattachment Wit-h the other end panel of the series to form a tubularbody,

said glue flap having two spaced weakened lines of separation extendingtherea'cross generally parallel to the end of the glue flap and dividingthe glue flap into an anchoring section between one said weakened lineand the end of the glue flap, a removable tear strip section betweensaid weakened lines, and a detachable section between. the other saidweakened line and the fold line connecting said glue flap to said oneend wall panel,

adhesive connecting said anchoring section securely in face contact tosaid other end wall of said series,

said tear strip section being free of adhesive connection to said otherend wall of said series, and

one of the overlapping areas of said detachable portion and said otherend wall including spaced embossed areas extending toward the otheroverlapping area and adhered thereto, said embossed areas holding theareas between said embossed areas out of face contact,

whereby when said tear strip section is removed, said detachable sectionmay be easily detached from said other end wall.

2. The structure of claim 1 and in which said detachable sectionincludes a locking tongue extending into the tear strip section, and inwhich said other end wall includes a slot into which said other end wallincludes a slot into which said locking tongue may extend when said tearstrip section is removed and said detachable section detached.

3. The structure of claim 1 and in which the spaced embossed areas areparallel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,218,509 10/1940Goodyear.

2,354,543 7/ 1944 Ratclifl 229-51 2,361,659 10/1944 Smith 229513,144,979 8/1964 Young 22937 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, J. B. MARBERT,

Assistant Examiners.

1. A CARTON INCLUDING A SHEET OF PAPERBOARD OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMTHICKNESS CUT AND CREASED TO PROVIDE A SERIES OF FOLDABLY CONNECTED WALLPANELS, A GLUE FLAP HINGED TO ONE END WALL PANEL OF SAID SERIES ADAPTEDFOR ATTACHMENT WITH THE OTHER END PANEL OF THE SERIES TO FORM A TUBULARBODY, SAID GLUE FLAP HAVING TWO SPACED WEAKENED LINES OF SEPARATIONEXTENDING THEREACROSS GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE END OF THE GLUE FLAP ANDDIVIDING THE GLUE FLAP INTO AN ANCHORING SECTION BETWEEN ONE SAIDWEAKENED LINE AND THE END OF THE GLUE FLAP, A REMOVABLE TEAR STRIPSECTION BETWEEN SAID WEAKENED LINES, AND A DETACHABLE SECTION BETWEENTHE OTHER SAID WEAKENED LINE AND THE FOLD LINE CONNECTING SAID GLUE FLAPTO SAID ONE END WALL PANEL, ADHESIVE CONNECTING SAID ANCHORING SECTIONSECURELY IN FACE CONTACT TO SAID OTHER END WALL OF SAID SERIES,